


This is Halloween

by AgentMaryMargaretSkitz, IncendiaGlacies



Series: The Roommates AU [9]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Backstory, Gen, Human!Gideon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-22 02:33:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12471524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz/pseuds/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: A very special two part event in the Roommates Universe in the spirit of Halloween!Part Two: Present day Halloween. In which Gideon still hates Halloween but puts up with it for Jonas, Felicity is a babbling mess as usual, Caitlin has Ice Queen problems, Lily is ruining the feminist movement, Barry has a way with words, and the girls are definitely not hiding something...





	1. How it All Began

**Author's Note:**

> The beginning of it all! Bonus points if you find the special guest cameo! ;)

“Yes, of course I’ll be there. I promise Lily,” Gideon sighed on the phone as she picked up the clothes strewn over her floor. Perhaps she should clean up after herself more often.

“Not in your bored, pouty voice though!” Lily whined, her voice slightly tinny over the phone.

“I am not boring or pouting,” Gideon frowned as she caught sight of herself in the mirror and immediately changed her expression, “Well I’m not anymore. But I’m not dressing up either!”

“You’re no fun! It’s Halloween, Gideon! Where’s your spirit for the season?”

“I believe that applies only to Christmas,” Gideon stated bluntly.

“It applies to every occasion,” Lily chirped back, “Could you please be somewhat fun when you come visit? I want you and Caitlin to get along – though, she’s actually a lot like you. I might just be the third wheel here – my sister and my roommate best friends without me!” Gideon chose not to correct her that technically speaking, they were foster sisters; no one had ever actually adopted her.

“We’re also meeting Felicity,” Gideon reminded her.

“If that’s even her real name! I still don’t approve of your online friendship,” Lily lectured her, “How do you even know that this person is who she says she is? What if she’s a balding over weight middle aged man?”

“Which is why we are meeting at a public place. A bar apparently,” Gideon rolled her eyes, her voice clear with disdain for Lily’s choice for the meetup.

“Caitlin’s bartending that night. Apparently you make a lot of tips on Halloween night,” Lily informed her.

“Are any of you even legal to drink?” Gideon asked (she was sure Lily could hear the arched eyebrow through her voice).

“Such a mom,” Lily groaned before happily responding, “You are!”

“Yes, I suppose so. And so is Ray, though I doubt either of us will have any,” Gideon muttered.

“Ray’s coming?” Lily asked curiously.

“Apparently he doesn’t feel it’s safe for me to take the bus so late at night,” Gideon refrained from rolling her eyes, “So he’s insisting on driving me even though it’s not necessary.” Her voice might have gotten slightly huffy at the end.

“Well that sounds reasonable,” Lily agreed, “I’m not sure I like the idea of you being out late on the bus either, especially with the crazies out there on Halloween night. Besides, you don’t have a car and I’m sure he’s just trying to be nice.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Gideon glowered.

“Oh stop glaring,” Lily teased. Gideon pulled the phone away from her ear, suddenly worried that Lily had somehow attached cameras in her apartment and was watching her. But she couldn’t have, Gideon would have noticed. She was the tech genius out of the two of them. Lily continued, “I am on your side. Honestly, you’ve been complaining about this guy for-”

“He’s overbearing!” Gideon complained.

“He is just being nice and trying to be friends with you,” Lily lectured then quieter, “Those types of people do exist in the world, you know?”

“Yes, I know,” Gideon answered just as quietly, “You’d be one of them. You two would get along well. And I suppose I still have some getting used to it all.” Niceness was not something Gideon was accustomed to until she met the Steins.

“We’ve got nothing but time,” Lily assured her, “I’ll see you soon, okay? Love you, Gideon!”

“Love you too, Lily,” Gideon responded in kind before hanging up.

 

* * *

 

“Hey! Ready to hit the road?” Ray asked excitedly as Gideon walked out of her apartment.

Gideon took one look at the overexcited puppy of a man and the car and decided it was far too early for this level of enthusiasm. But he was her ride. She sighed, “What are you wearing?”

“It’s Halloween,” Ray pouted as he looked at his Han Solo costume, “Of course I’m going to be dressed up. Where is your Halloween spirit? And your costume?”

“Not much of a Halloween person,” Gideon bit back, “Let’s get going.” Three hours of this, and that was if they didn’t stop anywhere.

Ray’s smile dimmed slightly but he graciously opened the passenger door for her and waited until Gideon settled in before going over to the driver’s side. As he sat down, he had to ask, “How can you not be a Halloween person? It’s like the best thing ever as a kid, maybe after Christmas. But you get to dress up and get free candy!”

“Never really did much of the trick-or-treating thing as a child. Didn’t get to as an orphan,” Gideon explained bluntly. She didn’t have many good Christmases either. Instead, she changed the subject, “You have the directions, right?” She already had a backup copy in her purse just in case. She liked to be prepared.

“Yup! All set!” Ray smiled as he pulled onto the road. He had long ago accepted that sometimes, Gideon just didn’t want to talk about things. Especially her childhood and it was best if he didn’t pry. “You want some music?”

“Let me guess, you have CDs picked out especially for this roadtrip, didn’t you?” Gideon asked knowingly.

Ray awkwardly scratched the back of his neck before remembering to keep both hands on the wheel at all times, “Maybe? We don’t have to listen to them if you don’t want to though.”

Gideon let out a small laugh, “It’s fine, let’s see.” She put in one of the CDs Ray had and turned the volume on low as music filled the car. “It’s not too bad.”

“Awesome,” Ray grinned at her, “I’m glad you let me come by the way.”

“I hardly had a choice, you basically invited yourself along,” Gideon reminded him.

“Well I was worried about you. I mean, you’re a young woman and getting on a bus late at night could have been dangerous,” Ray explained, “And you said you didn’t want to spend the night since you have that exam on Tuesday so I figured a ride was the least I could do.”

“Lily is happy with your courteousness at least,” Gideon informed him.

“Lily, that’s your sister right? You two video chat a lot.”

“Foster sister,” Gideon corrected him before she could stop herself. For some reason that distinction still mattered to her.

“But still your sister,” Ray gave her an understanding look. Gideon wasn’t sure she liked it.

“Yes, my sister. Could you please pay attention to the road rather than grilling me on my life story?” she couldn’t help but snap at him.

“Alright, calm down. I was just trying to be nice. You seem more tightly wound than usual, what’s wrong?”

“I am not tightly wound!” Ray gave her a look that made Gideon blush in embarrassment, there was a slight possibility she was a little high strung. A very, very small possibility.

“So what’s wrong?” Ray repeated.

“Nothing, I just,” Gideon sighed as she confessed, “I’m just worried. I’m not always very good at meeting new people. And what if they don’t like me? Apparently, Lily and Caitlin were fast friends ever since they were assigned as roommates. And it’s not that I’m jealous, but what if I don’t fit in?”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Ray reassured her, “Lot’s of people like you and you just don’t notice. I like you!” Gideon frowned at him as Ray hurriedly backtracked, “As a friend, I mean. Strictly as friends. I mean not that you’re not pretty, it’s just that you know – you’re not my – I mean-”

“Ray, Ray! It’s fine, I understand,” Gideon giggled as she tried to stop his face from turning any redder, “You like me as a friend. I’ll try not to weep too loudly over my broken heart.” Ray shot her a look only to find the teasing grin on her face; he couldn’t help but smile back. Gideon shook her head at him, “Alright, eyes on the road, Mister!”

 

* * *

 

“Gideon!” Lily shrieked as she threw her arms around her.

Gideon stumbled back slightly and gently patted her back, “I missed you too, Lily. Could you let go now? You’re slightly cutting off my circulation.”

“Sorry,” Lily smiled sheepishly as she let go, “I’m glad you got here alright!”

“Of course, it was all thanks to Ray,” Gideon gestured at the man next to her.

Ray immediately held out a hand for Lily, “Hi, Ray Palmer. It’s nice to finally meet you in person. You’re no longer just a voice I hear in Gideon’s apartment!”

“Yeah for sure! Nice to meet you too,” Lily grinned at him. She looked at him, “I love your costume by the way!”

“I rather like yours too, Princess Leia!” Ray grinned at her.

“Well I’m glad someone understands the spirit of Halloween. I’m sure Gideon was a complete downer on the ride over?” Lily gave Gideon a disappointed look.

“I was not!” Gideon argued, complete with crossed arms.

“She was perfectly nice and polite,” Ray vouched for Gideon.

“Sure she was,” Lily rolled her eyes. Then she grabbed Gideon’s arm and dragged them both to the bar. “Caitlin! I have people I want you to meet!”

The bar tender turned around from making a drink and smiled. She held up a finger to signify she would only be a minute. After she finished serving her customer she headed over to the small crowd. “Hi there, I’m Caitlin Snow.”

“This is my sister, Gideon. And her friend Ray,” Lily introduced. Gideon thought the word ‘friend’ might have been exaggerating their relationship slightly.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Caitlin smiled, “I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Same here, about you I mean,” Gideon frowned at her awkwardness. Lily simply gave her a grin and pulled her into a side hug.

“Thanks for agreeing to meet here. I know it’s not the most glamorous of places,” Caitlin looked around the dark dive bar, “But it’s mostly a college bar. And it’s Halloween night, which means great tips for me!” Tonight was even more festive than usual with everyone all dressed up in costumes. Caitlin herself had dressed as an angel, mostly because it was the easiest costume to come by on such short notice.

Caitlin gave Ray a onceover, “I don’t think I’ve heard about you though?”

“Oh, I just tagged along so that Gideon would have a ride to get here and back,” Ray explained.

“Thank you so much for doing that! I was so worried!” Lily told him as she edged slightly closer to Ray and accidentally pushed Gideon out of the half circle they had formed. Gideon frowned as the two of them conversed, not entirely sure what was happening. She had always known Ray and Lily would get along great; they always agreed on everything and sometimes even talked to each other when Ray came over and Gideon was on the phone with Lily. She just didn’t expect there to be this instant connection. Gideon glanced back at Caitlin and the other woman nodded at her knowingly. The two shared a secret smile; it seemed they would get along great.

Just then Gideon’s phone chirped with a text and she pulled it out before addressing everyone, “Oh, Felicity just got here too. I should go meet her!”

“Do you want us to come with you?” Lily asked her voice filled with worry.

“No, no,” Gideon waved off her concerns, “It’ll be fine. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Hey, why don’t you two take a seat?” Caitlin pointed at the couches in the corner of the bar, “My shift is almost done anyways. I’ll join you guys soon!”

“Me too,” Gideon promised before leaving them. Ray and Lily exchanged shrugs before making their way to the corner. Caitlin shook her head at the pair and had only a few minutes to herself and arranging the drinks in the back before someone interrupted her again.

“What can I get you?” Caitlin asked without even looking around; she could feel the person eying her.

“What’s something sweet, yet deceptively strong, with lots of ice?”

“Shirley Temple, coming right up,” Caitlin smiled as she turned around. She looked at the guy’s costume, “Fifth Doctor?”

“Finally someone who understands the classics!” he raised his hands in delight.

“Not bad, is that real celery?” she frowned at the vegetable.

“Hey now, don’t hate. Gotta be authentic,” he put a hand to his chest.

Caitlin nodded slowly, “We’ve met, haven’t we?”

“Yup, Cisco Ramon,” he held out his hand, “And you’re Caitlin Snow. We had biology together in freshman year.”

“Right, you looked like you barely understood anything,” Caitlin laughed.

“Hey! Mechanical engineering here, we can’t all be perfect premed angels,” Cisco eyed her costume. Caitlin slid his drink over as he asked, “So what’s a nice girl like you doing in a bar like this?”

“Is that your idea of a pickup line?” Caitlin laughed aloud as she leaned against the counter.

“No, no, see if I was gonna do a pickup line on you, I’d try and keep it within parameters of your understanding,” Cisco thought and then offered, “Like: Do you have eleven protons? Because you are Sodium fine!”

Caitlin laughed, “That was absolutely terrible!”

“But it got you to laugh, so clearly it worked!” Cisco pointed out before taking a sip of his drink, “Wow, this is great. Anything you can’t do?”

“Figure out why you’re talking to me apparently,” Caitlin asked indirectly.

Cisco leaned against the bar, “Truth is, it’s my birthday today-”

“Liar!”

“I would not lie about this, believe me!” Cisco raised his hands in surrender. He pulled his wallet out and tossed it at her, “See the license? Nothing but the truth!”

“Alright, it’s your birthday. So what?” Caitlin raised an eyebrow as she threw the wallet back at him.

“So my friends were rude and decided to pair off and I saw you here and figured I’d say hi. That’s all. Nice talking to you, I guess,” Cisco shrugged ready to walk away.

“Wait!” Caitlin stared at him as Cisco froze and turned back to her. She considered her options before sighing, “I’m meeting some other new people tonight so might as well join in as well. It is your birthday after all.”

“Seriously? Awesome!” Cisco grinned at her.

Caitlin nodded, “Give me a sec to make some drinks and clock out. My shift is over anyways and you can help me carry the drinks over!”

 

* * *

 

Gideon wandered over to the crowded end of the bar, her hands clutching her phone the entire time. They had both agreed to meet in a public space for safety reasons; neither of them could fully trust anything that was on the Internet these days. Gideon looked around for a girl in a black Star Trek shirt like the description had said. Felicity found her first.

“WaveRider321?”

Gideon turned around and found a girl with dark hair and goth like makeup wearing a black Star Trek shirt, “Overwatch.”

“Felicity Smoak,” she smiled at Gideon.

“Gideon,” she took the outstretched hand and introduced herself.

“So glad you’re not like a middle aged overweight perverted man or something,” Felicity babbled.

“Believe me, I feel the same. My – my sister has been worried sick about me meeting an online friend honestly,” Gideon confessed.

“I get it. This is the first time I’ve done this too. But we get along pretty well on the hacker sites. You’re really good by the way!”

“So are you,” Gideon smiled, “Would you like to come meet some friends of mine? It’s sort of a new person meeting all around actually.”

“That sounds good. Let’s go!”

 

* * *

 

Gideon and Felicity managed to reach the couches the same time Caitlin and Cisco arrived bearing gifts of drinks. After everyone introduced themselves, they sat there for a few minutes awkwardly contemplating each other.

“Dude, why are you wearing celery?” Felicity finally broke the silence.

“I’m the Fifth Doctor! I’m trying to be authentic here!” Cisco responded highly offended. Caitlin laughed and rolled her eyes at him.

“I love it! I was more of a fan of Four myself,” Ray chimed in. From there the ice was broken as they all discussed their favourite Doctors, villains, and companions. Lily was a diehard fan of Sarah Jane whereas Cisco rather enjoyed Ace. From there they digressed into smaller groups and other discussions.

Ray and Lily discussed their costumes and Star Wars and Gideon’s lack of Halloween spirit:

“So obviously the new episodes-” Ray started

“Have nothing on the originals!” Lily finished for him.

“Are you two going to do this all night? Was it not bad enough that you had to dress up?” Gideon interrupted.

“You are such buzzkill,” Cisco spoke up. Gideon raised an eyebrow at him and he immediately recoiled much to Felicity and Caitlin’s amusement.

Lily rolled her eyes, “She’s a mother hen, you’ll get used to it. No fun whatsoever and no dressing up for Halloween. She just doesn’t understand the holiday spirit.” This caused Gideon to splutter about how Halloween was not a legitimate holiday and Cisco argued that it should be since it was his birthday after all. (This of course led to a round of the Happy Birthday song and more drinks.)

Caitlin and Felicity managed to talk fashion and hairstyles:

“You know I have always wondered what I would look like if I dyed my hair,” Caitlin said, “If I went like a darker brunette. Like Gideon or Ray.”

“Oh not me,” Felicity shook her head, “I mean obviously I already have the dark hair. But you could not pay me enough to go the other way. Being blonde would remind me too much of my mother. And that’s not something anyone needs!”

“Okay but seriously though, what is with the getup? Is this a usual look or did you do it explicitly for Halloween?” Cisco had to question her goth outfit.

“Oh this is an everyday thing. But Halloween is special, I turn into a vampire and feast on peoples’ blood,” Felicity grinned devilishly.

Cisco scooched back some and cleared his throat, “You’re weird. And I mean that as a compliment.”

“Thanks!” Felicity grinned back.

And somehow, Gideon and Felicity got into an argument about hacking, which no one else could understand:

“Should we stop them?” Ray asked worriedly as he watched the two girls get into a more and more heated discussion.

“Nah, they’ll be fine. They’ve had online discussions like this before, I think,” Lily frowned at the two.

“Are we sure we shouldn’t be worried a little bit?” Cisco reiterated.

“Hey guys!” Caitlin interrupted the pair, “How about we talk about something we can all understand?”

“We let you talk about your enzymes and DNA for like a half hour,” Gideon whined as she sat back. Caitlin huffed at that, she thought it had been a riveting discussion.

“And no one knew what any of that meant,” Felicity muttered. Seeing Ray start to laugh she quickly snapped at him, “And no one could understand any of the rocket science the two of you were talking about either!” Both Ray and Lily looked disheartened at that.

“Okay, so how about we focus on something that everyone knows about. You don’t see me going on about MechE over here,” Cisco said.

“That’s because none of us understand it,” Lily told him, completely ignoring how his face dropped at that. Caitlin and Felicity patted his back in comfort.

“Soooo, Spiderman?” Gideon offered. And just like that they exploded into another conversation over the Spiderman comics versus movies as well as the commercialization of Marvel in general. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

 

* * *

 

“Well it’s been a good night. Thanks for letting me join you guys,” Cisco smiled as he got up. Everyone followed suit, quickly agreeing that it was late. Ray and Gideon had to drive back anyways.

“Same here,” Ray added.

“Oh me too!” Felicity jumped in.

Lily laughed, “We all joined everyone. And I’m glad we did. This was fun! We should totally do it again.”

“Well I suppose all of you can,” Gideon trailed off sullenly as they walked out of the bar into the parking lot. They all went to the same college.

Ray slung an arm over her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug ignoring how she stiffened on contact, “Hey don’t worry, we’ll come visit them lots!”

Gideon, Lily and Ray moved ahead of the crowd slightly as Felicity and Cisco got caught up into another heated discussion while Caitlin watched in amusement. Out of nowhere a couple suddenly bumped into Cisco, nearly pushing him over.

“Hey! Watch it man!” Cisco yelled.

The man turned and apologized immediately. “Sorry mate,” he said in his British accent, “Didn’t mean to.” The man steadied Cisco onto his feet as he apologized for his actions while his girlfriend yelled at him to hurry up.

“No worries man, you better hurry up. Your girlfriend seems pretty angry,” Cisco nodded at the brunette waiting by the door.

The man rolled his eyes, “Of course she is. Spitfire. Anyways, sorry. Enjoy your night!”

“Happy Halloween!” Cisco yelled as the man started walking away.

He stopped and turned with a frown but nodded as he returned the greeting, “Happy Halloween.”

Cisco watched as the blond man grabbed the brunette’s hand and they headed into the bar. He walked over to the rest of the group slowly. “Man, they seem a little old to be going to a college bar.”

“Oh come on, they’re young and in love. Probably just out of college and it’s not like it’s strictly a college bar,” Caitlin told him.

“Yeah, yeah. Anyways, notice the lack of costumes?” Cisco turned to Gideon, “What is it with you English people hating on Halloween?”

“What makes you think I’m English?” Gideon asked with a perfect American accent. She threw Cisco a wink as everyone’s eyes widened at the change in her voice.

“I can honestly say that is the creepiest thing I have seen all night,” Cisco said while shaking a finger at Gideon. She simply laughed at him.

“What is your real voice?” Felicity asked as she and Caitlin scrutinized her.

“You will never know,” Gideon smiled mysteriously as her voice came back to its ‘normal’ English accent. The girls and Ray both looked to Lily while Cisco continued to stare at Gideon in awe. Lily shrugged and mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key.

“So tonight was pretty fun,” Caitlin repeated, reminding them all that the night had come to an end.

“Most definitely,” Felicity agreed, “I guess I’ll see you guys around on campus?”

“For sure!” Lily agreed.

“Gideon and I will totally come visit when we can,” Ray promised.

“And we could totally roadtrip up there too,” Lily added as she shared a look with Caitlin.

“I’ll queue up some songs for the drive?” Cisco offered, clearly wanting to be included.

“And I’ll bring the games,” Felicity added with a laugh.

“It’ll be awesome!” Caitlin enthused.

“Alright, bring it in everybody,” Cisco ushered them all in, “I feel a group hug coming on!” Ray put his arms around Gideon and Lily while Cisco did the same with Felicity and Caitlin as they all came into the middle for a hug.

“Can we stop now?” Gideon asked after a few moments. It was just getting awkward at this point.

Lily laughed as they all took a step back, “Sorry guys. She’s not a big hugger. Don’t worry, we’ll break her down.”

“Course we will, we’re team geek squad!” Cisco yelled.

“Really is that the best you can do?” Caitlin asked.

“It’s my birthday, why can’t you let me have this?” Cisco turned to her. Felicity watched as the two of them dissipated into a meaningless spat. Ray cleared his throat and made a point to move closer to Caitlin and Cisco, giving Lily and Gideon the privacy they needed for their goodbyes.

“Not a bad group of friends,” Lily mused as they took a step away from their crowd.

“No, it’s rather entertaining actually,” Gideon agreed.

“And Felicity is who she said she was, and not a middle-aged man,” Lily said.

“No, she wasn’t. Would have been a lot less fun if she was. And Cisco has geek credentials that rival yours.”

“Give me some time, I will win,” Lily promised. The two stood there, enjoying the calm silence before Lily spoke again, “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Gideon said easily.

“Well at least Ray’s willing to drive you up here every once in a while?”

“Yes, I’m sure you’d like that,” Gideon teased.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lily frowned at her (Gideon still saw the slight blush on her cheeks), “Anyways, you’ll give me a call when you get home?”

“Of course I will. Don’t forget to call your parents this weekend,” Gideon reminded her, “Clarissa wants to know when a good time to visit you will be.”

“Sure Mom,” Lily responded sarcastically before asking, “When are they going to visit you?”

“Martin gave a speech a few weeks ago at my campus, remember? He checked up on me then.” She had never had the type of family that checked up on her before. Even if they weren’t her real parents, she appreciated the gesture.

“Right, I remember,” Lily snapped her fingers.

“Oh and don’t forget. You also need to call-”

“Yes I know, I’ll check in on Jax,” Lily rolled her eyes, “But you have to-”

“Yes, alright. I’ll call Ronnie. Stop nagging me, I’m the older one here.”

“I know, but I still worry about you,” Lily said as she pulled Gideon in for a hug, which she tentatively reciprocated. “Take care of yourself.”

“You too,” Gideon murmured, “Call if you need anything. Have fun with our new friends.”

“You too. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Gideon returned as the broke apart. As they looked around, they caught the other four staring at them and then quickly looking off in opposite directions.

“Alright you nosy people. We’d love to stay, but Ray and I really do need to get on the road,” Gideon announced. There was one final round of goodbyes as they all promised to call and keep in touch (and at the very least, Gideon and Lily would act as the middlemen). Lily squeezed Gideon’s hand one last time as they split up into their separate groups and Ray and Gideon made their way to the car.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Ray nudged Gideon in an effort to cheer her up, “We’ll come by lots. However often you want, okay? I don’t mind the drive.”

“It’s a six hour round trip,” Gideon reminded him.

“We should probably stop for some coffee then,” Ray quipped. Then seriously, “I don’t mind. They’re my friends now too, and you’re good roadtrip company believe it or not.”

“Well, I do know a pretty good coffee place we can stop by,” Gideon replied haughtily making Ray laughed. She smiled at him as he leaned against his car and before she could think twice, she jumped up and threw her arms around him, “Thank you. Really, I mean it.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek and pulled away from him, placing her feet flat on the ground, a light blush grazing her cheeks.

Ray touched his cheek lightly, taken aback by the flurry of emotion and gratitude. Gideon was constantly surprising him. He gave her an easy smile, “It’s no problem. I had lots of fun. Besides, that’s what friends are for.”

Gideon returned his smile. Friends. She had a lot to get used to when it came to that word. But with this gang, she had a feeling she’d learn quickly.


	2. Now We Made it Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present day Halloween. In which Gideon still hates Halloween but puts up with it for Jonas, Felicity is still a babbling mess, Caitlin has Ice Queen problems, Lily is ruining the feminist movement, Barry has a way with words, and the girls are definitely not hiding something...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just before Halloween, hooray!!

Gideon groaned as the doorbell rang. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” Because clearly she was once again the only one responsible enough to be ready on time. “Schrodinger get off the sofa right now!” she scolded the cat as she walked by. Immediately he jumped down and curled up on the floor. Perhaps the girls were right and he did like Gideon best.

“Rip! Jonas! Come in,” Gideon ushered her neighbours in as she answered the door, “That’s a very nice costume, Jonas.”

“Thanks! I’m a ninja!” Jonas said excitedly.

“I can see that,” Gideon smiled, “I suppose Sara had a hand in his costume?”

“Surprisingly not as much as you would think,” Rip commented, “And what do you think of mine?” Rip gave his own outfit a flourish.

“What exactly are you supposed to be?” Gideon asked with a laugh.

“A pirate! Isn’t it obvious?”

Gideon reached out and touched his hat, “Yes I suppose so, Captain Hunter.” Rip grinned at the joking title she gave him.

“Thank you, for coming along with us,” Rip finally remembered to say.

“Oh yes! Thank you Gideon!” Jonas bounded forward and gave her a tight squeeze. Gideon wrapped her arms around him in response.

“And you’ve dressed up too,” Rip looked her over, “Wonder Woman. It’s very fitting.” Gideon fought the blush on her cheeks and looked down at the little boy.

“Yes, well thank you for inviting me, Jonas,” Gideon responded.

“I’ll say!” Lily came out from her bedroom, “You actually got her to dress up, and go have some fun-”

“I have plenty of fun!”

“And zero Halloween spirit!”

“I – that’s not true, not really,” Gideon trailed off, trying to ignore the frown on Rip’s face. Then she rounded on Lily as she noticed the other woman’s costume, “What are you wearing?”

“I’m dressed as a 1950’s housewife. I thought it was cute?” Lily ended unknowingly as she did a little shimmy to show off the skirt.

“You can’t wear that!” Gideon scolded.

“Why not what’s wrong with it?” Lily asked/

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Jonas repeated.

“Well because of – of women’s rights!”

“What does my costume have to do with women’s rights?”

“Here we are in the middle of a major feminist movement and you choose to go back to the dark era where women were told to stay at home, not work, no freedom whatsoever. The women that came before us did not fight for our rights just so you could go and decimate it all by wearing that!” Gideon lectured.

“Wasn’t the whole entire point of the feminist movement so that women could have a choice in what they want to do? Without any backlash or judgement?” Rip questioned quietly. Gideon turned to glare at him, at which he silently shrunk away.

Before Gideon could respond, the door opened again and Felicity and Ray piled into the apartment.

“Make way, make way! We have a lot of stuff here!” Felicity said as she barged through to the kitchen. Jonas stared at her wide eyed, to which Felicity finally huffed, “What’s up Munchkin? You keep staring at me!”

“You’re in your goth clothes, Felicity,” Gideon reminded her, “And did you dye your hair back to its original colour?”

“No, it’s a wig. I figure Halloween is the perfect night to bring ‘goth Felicity’ back from the dead. And if you listen to Cisco, I can also double as a witch,” Felicity winked at Jonas who giggled and hid behind his father.

“So you’re not a real blonde,” Rip mused, “I had always wondered.”

“You better take that secret to the grave, Mr. Hunter!” Felicity warned. Rip crossed his heart with a slight chuckle.

Meanwhile, Ray only had eyes for Lily. “Hey Lils! Love the costume!”

“Thanks Ray,” Lily sighed, “Gideon doesn’t agree. I like yours too, Cowboy.”

Ray grinned, “Gideon doesn’t like Halloween in general. Remember that one time I tried to take you to-”

“We agreed to never speak of it again!” Gideon yelled at him. Ray simply raised his hands in surrender.

“So you don’t like Lily’s awesome costume?” Ray nudged her as Gideon rolled her eyes at him.

“She was just giving me an enlightening speech on women’s rights,” Lily informed them all. At Felicity’s snort, Gideon turned to glare at her, making the other woman silence her laughter immediately. Lily pouted, “I just liked the poodle skirt. It’s so much fun.” Lily gave a little twirl with her comment.

Gideon blinked, “Oh. Well then it’s fine I suppose.” Rip stared at her incredulously trying to understand where she was coming from.

“Well I love it, even if we’re not matching this year,” Ray turned to Rip, “Somehow almost every year we end up in matching costumes. Like last year we ended up as Superman and Lois Lane. Speaking of, love Schrodinger as a mini Superman!” Ray smiled at the cat who was creeping by them. Without warning, Ray started sneezing.

“Yes, he’s keeping us all safe tonight and guarding our home. Here’s some allergy medication by the way,” Felicity tossed Ray some pills that he thanked her for.

“Matching costumes every year, how interesting. Right, Gideon?” Rip turned to Gideon with a knowing look. Suddenly everything made a lot more sense.

“Yes, very interesting. Lots of coincidences. Yup,” Gideon rambled while avoiding eye contact. So did Felicity. Rip simply hummed and shook his head at the girls.

“AAAAAAAH!”

“What the hell was that?” Rip asked in fear.

“Caitlin!” Lily yelled as the girls ran to her bathroom. Out in the hallway they found Cisco leaning against the wall, dry heaving as he tried to stop laughing.

“What’s going-” Lily couldn’t even finish her sentence as Cisco simply shook his head laughing and slid onto the ground. He jerked a thumb towards the bathroom. The girls approached it slowly.

“Caitlin? What happened?” Gideon called in her soothing voice.

“Tell Cisco to stop laughing! It’s not funny! It’s horrible!” Caitlin’s muffled yell came from behind the closed door.

“Well Sweetie, just open the door and we’ll help,” Lily said.

“Is Felicity there?” Caitlin asked.

“Yeah, I’m here. What happened?” Felicity called back.

Slowly the door handle twisted and Caitlin came out, dressed in her Elsa costume, with very, very white hair. “We tried to dye it on our own,” Caitlin said quietly.

“Oh honey, it’s not that bad,” Lily pressed her lips together to stop the laughter.

“It’s hilarious!” Cisco said. Gideon glowered at him and told him to shut up. Cisco sighed and got up as he grabbed Caitlin’s hand and starting leading the girls back out to the living room, “It’s not that bad. It’s funny, and a story you’re going to remember forever. No reason to go all Ice Queen about it.”

“This is your fault! I told you I should have just gone with the wig!” Caitlin blamed him.

“You should have waited for me,” Felicity said, “I told you I would help!”

“Yeah but you were so busy with the – stuff,” Caitlin stumbled over her words, “I thought we could handle it.”

“Well I can’t fix it now. So go out and have a good time. I’ll handle it when you get back or tomorrow, okay?” Felicity said. Caitlin nodded sadly.

“It really doesn’t look that bad,” Ray offered.

“Yes, it’s quite authentic,” Rip tried his own hand.

“I think you look really pretty,” Jonas told her, which caused all the girls to coo over him.

“Hey, I say you look pretty all the time. Why don’t I get that reaction?” Cisco complained.

“Because you’re not a child with adorable dimples and puppy dog eyes,” Rip quipped.

“Hey man, have you seen these dimples?” Cisco grinned, “Okay, let’s get going. In my expert doctorly opinion-”

“Cisco, just because you’re dressed as a doctor does not make you an actual doctor!” Caitlin glared at his white coat, “You barely passed biology.”

“Hey, don’t be rude to me on my birthday,” Cisco told her off. The comment of course caused a round of happy birthdays from everyone in the room. “Thanks guys. Well, I guess we’re off. Since Lily’s being mean and doesn’t want to come to the work party with us.”

“Ray and I are handing out candy to the kids,” Lily reminded him.

“In a place with a cat which Ray is allergic to, right. Like there isn’t a bigger declaration of lo – OW! Seriously? On my birthday?” Cisco looked at Caitlin in betrayal as he rubbed his arm. He huffed, “Fine. I guess we should get going. My birthday and our friendship anniversary and we’re all split up. Real nice guys!” Caitlin put a hand on his back and led a muttering Cisco to the door. She nodded once at the group before leaving.

“So she’s coming back at-”

“Eight,” Lily answered Felicity’s unfinished question, “So you had all better be here by-”

“Seven thirty, we know,” Gideon smiled.

“Well alright then, I should go meet Sara. You guys gonna be okay?” Felicity asked.

“We’ll be fine,” Ray answered with a grin. Felicity bid them bye before leaving as well.

“Well I suppose we should head out too. Don’t want all the good candy to be gone,” Gideon said as Jonas cheered and the three of them left too.

“So we’re finally alone?” Lily asked.

“Yup. Alone at last.”

“Alright then, let’s get to work!”

* * *

 

“Okay, punch is done!” Ray announced.

“Almost done with the decorations. But I’m gonna need help with putting some more spider webs on the bookshelf, I’m not tall enough.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Ray laughed as he took the fake webbing from her, “Where did you buy this from?”

“I made it actually. Why what’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing! It’s just really good, I’m impressed. Seriously,” he tossed her a smile that she happily returned.

“Well thank you. I had some extra time so I figured why not. Gideon’s always telling me to get a hobby.”

“Yeah, she really likes telling people what to do.”

“She’s sorta just always been like that. Well, after the whole teenage rebellion wild child phase was over. Then she just went full on mom,” Lily explained.

“Even with people that are older than her,” Ray rolled his eyes, “Okay, what do you think?”

“It looks perfect!” Lily squealed. She grabbed her pad of paper and checked something off, “Okay, punch and snacks are done. Decorations are also done. Felicity got the candy. All that’s left are the games.” As she finished there was a knock on the door.

“I thought Rip said the kids don’t trick or treat in these apartments?” Ray frowned.

“Not kids, that’ll be Barry,” Lily informed. She opened the door to greet their friend, “Hey Barry!”

“Hey Lily,” Barry returned her hug, “Man, you guys have done an awesome job so far.”

“Thanks. And thanks for coming by and helping.”

“Oh of course. Like I would miss this,” Barry waved if off as he greeted Ray. “As Cisco would say, it’s going to be the party of the century. Now, you got room for the sound system I’ve got?”

“Yup! You can keep it over there,” Lily pointed to a corner they had cleared out earlier. Schrodinger had also left and gone into hiding in the bedrooms as they had rearranged the furniture. “Gideon said she set all the wiring up. But I’m not entirely sure what goes with what.”

“Oh no worries, I can take care of it,” Barry told them.

“Okay, well we’ve got about another hour before everyone starts coming in. So you’ll have to be quick about it,” Ray warned him.

“Don’t worry, speed has always been a specialty of mine,” Barry chuckled.

“Okay then, games?” Ray asked Lily.

“I’ve got apple bobbing, face painting, all the usual,” Lily said.

“Alright then, let’s do this.”

* * *

 

“I don’t remember it being this loud last time I was here,” Felicity yelled over the music.

“It’s Halloween night, what did you expect!” Sara shouted back at her with a grin. She was decked out in her 70’s outfit and ready to have a good time. “When have you been here before anyways?”

“Well I might have popped in a few times, here and there,” Felicity said quieter. Ever since Caitlin and Lily had recommended the bar as a good karaoke place, the girls came by every once in a while. Of course, without all the drinking involved. It wasn’t as if Felicity needed to make an even bigger idiot of herself.

“Okay, well how about a drink?” Sara didn’t wait for a response, grabbed Felicity’s hand, and dragged her to the bar. “Thea! Drinks for me and my friend!”

“Coming right up,” the bartender responded. She looked at the two of them before passing them their drinks, “Okay so 70’s chick and – sorry, what are you supposed to be?”

“The embodiment of my lovely teenage self,” Felicity answered, “You know, bad choices, hacking, goth get up. The usual.”

“I can’t say I was ever into those things,” Oliver came up next to Thea, “Especially not goth.”

“No, your expertise was in charm, wasn’t it, Ollie?” Sara rolled her eyes.

“I would have guessed truancy or something,” Felicity babbled. She noticed the look Oliver gave him as well as the laughter from the girls. “I mean you just have this sort of bad body don’t care about the world vibe to you – or I mean, the kind of vibe that you used to be like that but not anymore. I’m sure you’re a great person and I mean your abs are amazing so – oh my god, how much alcohol is in this drink?”

“None, non-alcoholic since I know you two are driving back,” Thea giggled at her.

“Oh great,” Felicity moaned and rested her head in her hands, “Me and my stupid idiot self!”

“Isn’t she cute?” Sara grinned.

“Hey.” Felicity looked up where Oliver had lowered his face next to hers. He continued quietly, “It’s fine, really. I’m glad someone appreciates the effort I put into my costume.”

“You literally just have an unbuttoned vest over jeans. What’s it supposed to be, douchey fratboy?”

“You’re not the only one reliving the past tonight,” Oliver shrugged. He could tell why this girl got along so well with Sara. For all she babbled she could definitely hold her own in an argument. “So, you guys staying a while?”

“Nope, gotta get this one home soon actually,” Sara responded.

“Yeah, we’re having a party for – wait, I’m not supposed to say. It’s a surprise!” Felicity stopped herself.

“Felicity, we don’t actually know each other all that well,” Oliver laughed.

“Well maybe that should change,” Thea muttered under her breath, making Sara laugh. Oliver shot her a glare before continuing.

“Why wouldn’t you be able to tell us?”

“I’m not supposed to. I promised them – my roommates – that I would keep it a secret. I can totally keep secrets. I mean not even everyone knew I wasn’t a real blonde – darn it!” Felicity hit the bar as she realized what she had done. “Point is, I promised to keep it a secret.”

“Okay, that’s fine. I hope you have fun at your party that I’m not supposed to know about,” Oliver smiled at her.

“Well maybe you two should stop by,” Sara offered, “After all we’re all going to be there. And the more the merrier, right Felicity?”

“Right, but I’m sure these two have more important things to do-”

“You don’t want us to come?” Thea teased.

“No, of course I would want you to come. I mean, it’s not my party though. I mean it’s my place but-”

“Great, then we’ll be there after we get off then,” Thea grinned as Oliver shook his head at his sister.

“Here’s the number,” Sara scribbled on a napkin, “They’re right down the hall from us. Can’t miss them. See you there! Come on Felicity.”

“Okay, bye then,” Felicity waved weakly as Sara pulled her away. Stupid big mouth!

* * *

 

“No Daddy, I want to do this one by myself. I’m big enough!”

“Alright then. Go on, and be nice. Okay?” Rip told his son. Jonas nodded and bounced up to the house, which had been intricately decorated for the season. It looked like a regular haunted house that one should never enter.

“He’s being quite brave considering how scared he is by those horror movies,” Gideon commented next to Rip.

“Yes, I know. I suspect Miranda had a talk with him. She’s always been better with his nightmares than I am,” Rip responded. He felt Gideon shiver next to him and stepped a little closer to her to ward off the wind. “Have I thanked you for coming tonight?”

“Multiple times actually, you really don’t have to keep doing it,” Gideon laughed.

“I really do. We used to live in this neighbourhood, most everyone knew me and Miranda when we were married. And after the divorce a lot of our married friends didn’t quite stay friends with us. Which sadly cost Jonas quite a few friends too. Especially after we moved.”

“That’s terrible, I’m sorry.”

Rip shrugged, “It is what it is. But thank you for coming tonight, it really made his night. Mine too, actually. Especially considering you don’t like Halloween.”

“Who says I don’t like Hallo-” Gideon stopped at Rip’s look. She huffed, “So I’m not in love with it like Lily and Ray are. But what is the big deal? I mean Cisco only loves it so much because it’s his birthday.”

“How can anyone hate Halloween as much as you do?” Rip shook his head at her.

“I don’t hate it,” Gideon shrugged, “I just don’t understand it. I never went trick or treating as a kid. In fact, I think my best Halloween was when we all met. The girls, Ray, Cisco and I.”

“Well there you go. You have something to remember it for. And maybe this too,” Rip looked away pointedly, refusing to make eye contact with her. Gideon couldn’t help herself and grabbed his hand for a quick squeeze.

“I really am having a nice time tonight. Thank you,” she smiled at him softly.

Rip smiled back as she dropped his hand. “Well I’m glad to hear it. I must admit, I’m surprised you agreed to come trick or treating with us if you don’t even like Halloween.”

“Yes, well it was Jonas’ fault,” Gideon huffed, “Honestly those puppy eyes should be illegal. He’s too adorable to say no to.”

“Yes, they are the ultimate weapon,” Rip chuckled.

“Well, he gets it from his father.”

“You think I’m adorable?” Rip teased her.

Gideon could feel the blush on her cheeks but was determined to stand strong and maintain her ground. “Well, I suppose you have a certain charm, Captain Hunter,” she refused to make eye contact with him as she spoke.

“Well I suppose you do too,” Rip answered just as quietly. Gideon turned to look at him, but Rip only had eyes for Jonas who came running back from the house.

“Look at how much candy I got, Daddy!” Jonas shouted.

“Yes, you do seem to have quite an impressive haul there,” Rip commented seriously, “Sadly, I think it’s just about time we have to head home now.” Jonas booed the prospect of leaving already so Rip decided to kill two birds with one stone.

“Maybe one last house,” he allowed.

“Rip, we don’t want to be late,” Gideon chastised. She understood Jonas was upset, but she was a stickler for time. And normally Rip was too.

“Gideon, have I ever been late for anything?” Rip gave her a look. Gideon huffed and pulled a strand of hair out of her face angrily. Rip grabbed Jonas’ hand and tentatively put an arm around Gideon’s shoulders as he walked them to the last house. “Come on, one more house. Both of you deserve to have a good childhood memory,” he smiled at her as he handed her the empty pumpkin basket they had brought along just in case.

“Thank you, Rip. That’s really very sweet of you,” Gideon smiled back.

“Come on then. Last house.”

* * *

 

“So tonight was fun, right?” Caitlin asked.

“Yeah super fun,” Cisco agreed not quite enthusiastically, “Would have been better if Lily came too though.”

“Oh come on, we had a good time. I mean, I sang!”

“Yes, I will not soon forget that. I promise you that,” Cisco laughed.

“Well consider it your birthday present.”

“Oh in addition to those rocking vintage comics you got me? Thanks again for those by the way.”

“Of course, you’re my best friend, Cisco,” Caitlin told him.

“And you’re mine.”

“Well then tell me what’s wrong!” Caitlin pleaded.

“Nothing, I just – I missed all our friends I guess,” Cisco shrugged, “Halloween has always been this huge time for us. Our friendshipversary and my birthday. Two things of awesomeness colliding on one day. It just kinda sucks that we didn’t really get to do anything this year.”

“Well why don’t you come up for a movie?” Caitlin suggested, “Maybe the rest of the girls are still awake. There’s still some time left of tonight.”

“Oh yay. Zombie, guts and gore,” Cisco teased.

“Just not ‘The Exorcist’ again. Anything but that,” Caitlin shuddered as they came up to her floor.

“It was a classic!”

“Never again, Cisco,” Caitlin reprimanded him.

“I take it back. I like Barry better than you!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Caitlin rolled her eyes as she opened the door.

“Looks like you were wrong,” Cisco commented on the dark room, “We’re the first ones ba-”

“SURPRISE!

Cisco stepped back as he flipped the light on and everybody jumped out and yelled at him. The girls, Ray, Barry and his friends, the girls from the apartment down the hall and Rip and Jonas too. Everyone.

“Woah, warn a guy before you give him a heart attack!” Cisco scolded as he put a hand to his chest.

“How you like me now?” Caitlin teased.

“You did all this? For me?” Cisco asked incredulously.

“You didn’t think we’d actually let our best friend go without celebrating his birthday properly, did you?” Caitlin teased, “I know you said your family was gone this time, so we wanted to make it extra special.”

“So we all pitched in,” Lily announced.

“Because you’re worth it,” Ray added.

“So glad I was able to keep it a secret this time you guys. I was dying on the inside,” Felicity babbled.

“Yes, we’re all very proud of you,” Gideon patted her shoulder.

“So, how about a party?” Barry came up and gave Cisco a hug, “I mean we put a lot of effort into this. This place is bitchin’!” Rip frowned at his use of language and pulled Jonas closer to him while the girls shook their heads at him. Barry wrung his hands together, “I apologize for my language. I can honestly say that I’m probably never going to say that again.”

“No one blames you,” Sara teased, “But he’s right. Let’s get this party started for the birthday boy!”

“Hells yes!” Cisco exclaimed (it seemed everyone was ignoring the fact that there was still a child in the room). He laughed and slung an arm around Caitlin and Barry as the trio moved into the crowd and Lily and Ray explained all the games they had set up (while Sara was only interested in getting the sound system working). Halloween was always a fun night.

* * *

 

“That party was off the hook!” Cisco exclaimed.

“Do people still say that?” Rip frowned.

“Cisco clearly does,” Caitlin shrugged.

“Okay, let’s see what we can do about that hair dye though. You guys have the cleaning handled, right?” Felicity grinned as she came out of her room back to her normal self. Lily glared at her from where she was emptying the trash. Maybe Gideon was right and they all did shirk the not fun responsibilities.

“We’re good,” Ray agreed as Barry nodded. Lily looked at both of them in betrayal.

“Oh wait, I wanna watch this. And Felicity can also tell us why those nice bartenders stopped by tonight,” Cisco grinned.

“Oh yes, I’m sure she has so much to tell,” Caitlin teased.

“Nope, you’re not getting anything out of me. My lips are sealed!”

“So there’s something to keep quiet about.”

“Oh that is so not fair,” Felicity complained, “Just come on. Or else your hair will be stuck like that forever!” Caitlin laughed as she followed Felicity to the bathroom.

“Hey, that reminds me, you’re all staying for the movie right?” Cisco confirmed. Both Ray and Barry nodded, but Rip had to decline.

“Oh no, we shouldn’t intrude anymore-”

“Why would you be intruding?” Gideon asked as she came out also changed out of her costume.

“You took your costume off!” Jonas complained.

“Yes, I’m afraid I did. I think I’ve had enough for this year. Maybe next year again, alright?” Gideon smiled at the pouting boy. Across the room, Ray grinned at the interaction. Who knew that Gideon just needed a kid to get her to do things?

“Tell him to stay for the movie, he’ll listen to you,” Cisco ordered her as he headed to see Caitlin and Felicity.

“You’re staying for the movie,” Gideon stated robotically. She ignored Rip’s protests and continued, “You have no legitimate excuse to not be here. There’s no school tomorrow so Jonas can stay up late, and even if he did get sleepy, you live across the hall. And don’t you dare give me some drivel about it being a night for friends. You are our friend.”

Rip turned to Lily and Ray who simply shrugged. “She can argue with the best of them,” Lily warned, “You should just save yourself the trouble and agree now.”

“Alright then, it seems I’m outnumbered,” Rip sighed, “Just let us get out of our costumes and we’ll be right back in.”

“Of course,” Gideon led them to the door, “Another Halloween survived.” Rip chuckled and shook his head at her as they went to their apartment. When Gideon turned around she saw Lily looking at her with a slight frown. “What?”

“Nothing,” Lily hurried, “It’s just – I know you’re not that great about these holidays and stuff, but Jonas really loves them. And I mean, you spend a lot of time with him. With them both, just maybe be careful with what you say around him?”

“Oh. Right, of course,” Gideon frowned at the ground.

“She didn’t mean anything bad by it,” Ray rushed as Barry looked around awkwardly for an escape. Would it be too cliché to jump out the window?

“No, I know. I know,” Gideon gave them a small but real smile. Lily nodded as she left to change as well and told Ray and Barry they could take Gideon’s room since she was finished.

Gideon frowned as she sat on the sofa and queued up the movie when Schrodinger jumped into her lap. “And where have you been all night? I suppose all the noise was bothering you, wasn’t it? Well just this once you can stay here, don’t tell the others though,” she conspired with the cat.

Gideon sighed to herself as she removed the superman costume from the cat. For all that the girls talked about her being a mom and taking the most responsibility in the apartment and with the cat, Gideon still had no idea how to handle kids. And Lily was right, if she was going to spend that much time around Jonas, then maybe it would be best to learn. Gideon grabbed her phone and quickly went to Amazon, clicking on the best books for how to raise a child (sadly they had none of the ‘for dummies’ books on that subject) and ordered them immediately. The sooner she learned the better. Just as she was putting her phone away the door opened and Rip and Jonas walked back in.

“Kitty!” Jonas exclaimed as he ran over and sat next to Gideon on the sofa. Gideon smiled and let Schrodinger curl up in Jonas’ lap, she knew how much the little boy loved him. Rip rolled his eyes and came to sit on the other side of Gideon, so as to not disturb his son and the cat. The three of them sat in a comfortable silence until everyone else came out.

“It’s not that bad!” Felicity promised Caitlin who was hurrying in, dressed in her pajamas and a shower cap hiding her hair.

“What if it’s never fixed?” Caitlin cried.

“It will be fine! Just give me a couple days. I’ll talk to my mother, okay?” Felicity groaned. Cisco rolled his eyes and pulled Caitlin into the seat next to him and Barry came on the other side of her. The two of them sandwiched her into a hug which admittedly made her feel better.

“Achoo! Oh man, I was wondering why I wasn’t sneezing as much. I see Schrodinger’s back,” Ray commented before taking the pills Felicity handed him.

“Alright, movie. Did you pick a good one?” Lily asked as the remaining three settled in.

“I always pick good movies, not my fault you all don’t have good taste,” Gideon sniffed.

“I’ll be the judge of that, it’s my birthday after all,” Cisco reminded them.

“Only for a couple more hours,” Caitlin replied.

Cisco rolled his eyes and nudged her. “But still, while it’s still my birthday, I just wanted to say, thank you. For all of this. It was an amazing night. So here’s to friends,” Cisco looked around the room. From his oldest friends right next to him to the newest ones on the couch. Not even his friends though, his family, “To friends and family. Old and new.”

There was no better way to spend Halloween.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this special holiday fic! (And it sets us up very nicely into a fun little story arc...)

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/Comment?


End file.
